Saturday Night was the closing night of the Off Centered Film Festival.
Sam Calgione and his buddies and roommates – Jo Lo Truglio and Ken
Marino (best known from MTV’s the State) were in attendance along with
several of the finalists that entered their short films.
Along with being able to watch the short films I was awesomely
surprised by the beer menu the Alamo had that day!

90 Minute IPA (smoked Mesquite Randall)
Burton Buton
Palo Santo Morron
Midas Touch
120 Minute IPA

So after seeing I could finally try 120 my night was already bliss!
It was quite excellent I must say!!
I tried the 120, Palo Santo Morron, and Burton Buton (in that order)
There were some 8 or 9 shorts we saw that night; and they announced
the 3 winning films.
All in all it was a great event and some pretty funny and creative
people out there.  My fiance and I will be making our own film next
year!!
Here are some pics of the evening!

This post is coming “soon” after the Dogfish Head Beer Feast & Sudsy Comedy Shorts event. Because you know, “soon” is subjective, just like “short.”

I think the last of the three “short” films at this thing was 45+ minutes. Five beers in and my attention was waning.

Seared diver scallop (paired with Namaste)

The beer and food were great, but I’ve heard past Off-Centered Film Fest feasts were a little more entertaining and informational. Oh well, it was a good time nonetheless and we were happy to be invited. On to the highlights:

• Food and beer: the Namaste and scallop pairing was a great start and the chocolate ganache and Fort were a perfect closer (though I would have been more than happy with just the Fort). I also enjoyed the cherry and duck confit. Nice job to the Alamo staff pumping out all those plates.
• Breaking the rules: My date and I broke our quasi vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian diets for this thing. I must admit I couldn’t finish the seared bison, but I powered through the rest like a champ.
  

  Chocolate ganache (paired with Fort)

• Celebrities: Sam showed some outtakes from BrewMasters. You know, his TV show? Who cares it was canceled after one season, the man has transcended the beer world into cable TV stardom. Everyone wanted to meet him afterward.
• Ridiculous company: Someone on our row informed the waitress she was gluten free. At a beer dinner. With a preset menu. Geesh. I think her date was disappointed he didn’t get her beers when the staff substituted them with cider.
• Eating in the dark: Usually my pictures suck, now I have a reason

Until next year, cheers!

Look at how prompt we are!

This happened just last week and we are so on top of it.

It was a great night of movie, park, Canadian food, brewers, and great beers.

The highlight reel in text format:

1. Ranger Creek’s La Bestia Amiable Port Barrel edition
2. Ranger Creek Rob’s shirt
3. Independence’s Brewluminati “Big American Bitter”- had more than one of these
4. Tents
5. Thirsty Planet’s Double Bucket Head- it was a solid 2X IPA. Git ‘er Done
6. Jeff of Jester King fashionably wearing a baby most of the evening
7. That guy that had that beer show on Discovery Channel- wish he would have brought one of the Myth Busters with him
8. Live Oak’s Chipotle Powder Liberation- “It’s a spicy a meat-a-ball!”
9. Jelly Doughnuts
10. Craft Austin showing up after all the beer was gone
11. Had a good time hanging out wt @thisbeer

All in all, it was a fun time. Lots of good beer and a venerable “who’s who” of the ATX brew scene. Click on the image of Jester King Jeff wearing his baby below to check out the slide show by the renown Mr. A. Haley.

Here’s another take on the event.

Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery at 2009 Off-Centered Film Fest

The most engaging speaker at the 2005 Dixie Cup Homebrew Competition’s milliconference held in Houston, Texas, was an up-and-coming adventurous entrepreneur and brewer who entertained the audience with his wit and enthusiasm — Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder Sam Calagione. I was extremely excited when Calagione came to Austin in 2008 to host the Off-Centered Film Fest along with a beer and cheese pairing at the Alamo Lake Creek — especially as it was my first taste of Midas Touch and Palo Santo Marron. Sam’s passion for brewing “off-centered” craft beer is impressive and infectious.

Despite Discovery Channel’s cancellation of the series “Brew Masters” which featured Calagione’s adventures at creating new off-centered brews while meeting the demand for his year-round beer portfolio, Calagione and Dogfish Head have become increasingly well-known to the general public. Sam’s back in Austin to host this year’s Off-Centered Film Fest and he’s partnered with the Alamo Drafthouse to expand the fest to please both craft beer and film fans alike. Here’s what he had to say when I spoke with him earlier this week about OCFF, Texas craft beer, and supply demands:

You’ve been in Austin for the Off-Centered Film Fest (OCFF) for several years now?

This is the fifth anniversary. I’ve come personally to Austin for the film fest every year.

What inspired the expansion of the OCFF for this year?

I think we’ve expanded the program as a result of expanded excitement in craft beer in general — also the enthusiasm that  we have for working with the Alamo Drafthouse who we think is just the perfect off-centered collaborator for us.

Have you been following the current craft brewing related legislation proposed in Texas?

I’m friends with Brock Wagner who owns Saint Arnold. I also know the guys at Live Oak Brewing, Real Ale,  and (512) Brewing. I’m a big fan of the Texas breweries, I don’t know the intricacies of the proposed legislation so I’d rather not comment on it other than to say –

As a brewery we are always proponents of a level playing field that allows small local breweries to flourish access the marketplace.

Do you have particular favorite Texas beers?

I was down there last year, I remember drinking some great beers. I’m looking forward to trying some of the breweries that I haven’t had beers from — Circle Brewing, Ranger Creek, and Jester King. I’m hearing great things about these beers, and am looking forward to my old favorite from Texas as well.  Our goal when we do events at Dogfish  is to work hard to not just focus on our own beers, because we want to see the whole category of craft brewers thrive.

We know and love the fact that craft brew drinkers are promiscuous and cheat on their “go-to ” beer, even if it’s Dogfish and we think that’s a beautiful thing. We often try to set up events that allow us to feature other craft beers. The first night of this year’s Off-Centered Film Fest (OCFF) is going to be really fun ’cause we get to celebrate a lot of awesome Texas beers, in addition to Dogfish Head, while we watch a killer beer film, Strange Brew — a classic!

You announced recently that your brewery was cutting back on the states that you distribute to, and received a lot of complaints — but over the last week several other breweries announced that they have to follow suit to meet production demands. What do you have to say to any consumers that may be concerned where Texas market stands in the Dogfish Head distribution network?

We love the state of Texas, in terms of having always been just awesome at embracing our off-centered variety of beers. Since Dogfish started selling beer in Texas, it’s been a great market for us. While finding our core brands like 60 Minute and 90 Minute might prove challenging, it’s our goal to keep trying to get more and more different Dogfish Head beers into Texas.

Palo Santo Marron autographed by Sam Calagione - "Get it open"

Sometimes that might mean a little less predictability on the go-to favorites like 60 Minute. Hopefully in the long run, it might mean more opportunity for experimentation for beer drinkers in Texas.

Like the Wrath of Pecant?

Yes — not a particularly strong beer, but a flavorful beer.

We have over a dozen breweries in Central Texas, with more coming to fruition. What would you say to those folks who are aspiring to get into craft brewing on a professional level?

I would say welcome — ours is a very altruistic and mutually supportive band of brothers. A rising tide floats  all ships. as long as the start-up brewers are making inspired unique quality beers, I say the more the merrier.

Check out all the events for the Off-Centered Film Fest here.

This is coming up this weekend. You should go. We went last year, it was a blast. Great food, GREAT beer, lots of fun.

Alamo and Dogfish Head team up and bring around a super great event each year, and this year looks to be bigger and involving other local beers and breweries.

Also, we’ll be giving out 4 pairs of tickets for the Thursday evening Strange Brew beer party. We’ll be giving away one pair a day either on Twitter or Facebook. So dust off your Strange Brew Criterion Collection editions and get ready to answer some trivia.

Here’s the schedule:

THURSDAY, APRIL 14^th

STRANGE BREW BEER PARTY – AT SUNSET

Kick off the OCFF with an outdoor screening of STRANGE BREW and a medley of craft brew.  Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, and various brewers from the local Austin beer scene will be on hand serving exclusive brews and participating in a discussion about the state of the craft industry and Texas beer trends after the movie.  Participating breweries include (512), Live Oak, Thirsty Planet and more!  Bring a blanket and/or chair and enjoy a brew and movie under the stars.

Event Ticket Purchase: http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=8268

REPUBLIC SQUARE PARK

422 Guadalupe St.  Austin, TX 78704

FRIDAY, APRIL 15^th

BEER FEAST AND SUDSY COMEDY SHORTS – 7:00 PM

Join Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery for an evening of off-centered ales and incredibly awesome food.  Featuring the Three Stooges’ “Beer Barrel Polecats”, “3 Little Beers” & more.

Event Ticket Purchase: http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=8269

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER SCREENING – 10:00 PM

Join Sam Calagione and WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER star Jo Lo Truglio for an evening of off-centered ales and a post movie audience Q&A.

Event Ticket Purchase: http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=8270

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE LAMAR

1120 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78704

SATURDAY, APRIL 16^th

BEST OF THE SHORTS CONTEST SCREENING – 7:00 PM

Sam Calagione and crew will be at the Alamo Drafthouse on S. Lamar enjoying some pints and celebrating some off-centered films.  The three winners of the Off-Centered Film Festival and several other honorable mentions will be aired and enjoyed by all.

Event Ticket Purchase: http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=8280

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE LAMAR

1120 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78704

TICKETS ON SALE TODAY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24^th

OFCC WEB SITE: http://www.offcenteredfilmfest.com/home

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE WEB SITE: http://www.drafthouse.com/

As you know this week there’s a thing called SXSW in town- you may like it or you may not; but we can all agree everyone loves a free party and free beer!

Especially Texas Craft Beer!
For you out of towners welcome to Austin, and try our beers!!!! Here is a breakdown of the craft beer parties in town- I have not looked up whether you need a badge/rsvp or not so please check the link!

I believe most are free. We hope to see you guys around town and definitely at these parties! There are lots of parties going on some I have not even listed or probably know about; so feel free to comment if you know of anything else.
Please be on the look out for the Austin Beer Guide also! .

Again, hope everyone has a save SX and stay hydrated cause there’s plenty of beer in this town!

Welcome welcome to another episode of Over a Pint, our 26th (#25 is in the vaults, for cellaring…)

“Recently” we went out for the Dogfish Head/Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek Off-Centered Film Fest and had the great pleasure of grabbing Sam for a quick Over a Pint.

Sam had a lot to say. Mainly about the new version of the Dogfish Head Aprihop. It’s hoppier and less apricotier than in the past. I like. Not sure on the hop profile, Sam said he’d have to kill me if he told me. Whatever, it’s good.

He briefly mentioned the Chica experiment and also talked up his new roof top restaurant endeavor in NYC with Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo and Italian brewers Teo Musso, Brewmaster of Birrificio Le Baladin and Leonardo Di Vincenzo of Birra del Borgo. It sounds pretty great.

He also talked up the Dogfish Head, Victory and Stone Simon and Garfunkel tribute collaboration; a Saison du Buff brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Yeah. Stone released their version in April, Victory will in July, and Dogfish Head should be brewing theirs in June for an August release. Fingers crossed we see it in Texas.

The event was great. Alamo did a bang up job.

And unlike many beer type events, the Alamo/Dogfish Head group used these great labeled place mats for the beer with proper paired food designations for ease of having the correct beers and foods tastes.

Lots of local food paired very well by Alamo Chef Paul Michie.

My favorite pairings…

• Burton Baton/ Proscuitto, melon, and lime
• Black & Blue / Crab wonton with blueberry sauce
• Raison D’Etre / Medjool Date stuffed with gorgonzola, Marcona almond and wrapped in bacon
• Palo Santo Marron/ Chorizo, jack, and cojita quesadilla with roasted tomato salsa
• Chateau Jiahu/ Pulled pork slider, with house pickled red onions, and spicy mustard

Runners up included the…

• Pangaea/ BBQ Bison slider with cheddar
• Punkin Ale/ Chorizo/ beef slider with avocado mayo, lettuce, and tomato
• Indian Brown Ale/ House made smoked duck sausage

I heard from some that the 2007 120 Minute IPA was off, but I liked it. Possibly because I had done some pre-game tailgating in the parking lot wt Jeff and Joe of Jester King.

I missed the film portion of the festival due to the Live Oak Anniversary party on Saturday (coverage to come…) but heard it was pretty good.

Will Oldham (aka Bonnie Prince Billy aka Billy Prince JR….) and a sweet ass robot was the star of a pretty awesome short about industrialized beer. Check it out AFTER you watch our video.

Between courses Sam would take the stage and talk up the food/beer and as the night went on his stage time turned into a haphazard Q/A time .

During one of these sessions Sam spilt the beans that Dogfish Head would be brewing a one off special release beer for the  40th anniversary of the release of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. Video of that announcement here.

To finish the evening off Sam performed a bit of the The Pain Relievas’ catalog… see the footage after the interview. More here.

Huge thanks to Bret over at Alamo Lake Creek for the tickets and cheers on a great event!

Sam and I are drinking the Aprihop, so if you can, crack open a cold one and join us over a pint.

Enjoy!

[Good photos by Andrew Pogue]

Via my inbox this morning, Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek will be hosting the Dogfish Head Off-Centered Film Festival April 16^th and 17^th.

Nice.

I’ve never been before, but always wanted to.

From the horse’s mouth:

The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek and Dogfish Head Brewery are proud to announce the 2010 Off-Centered Film Festival.  The Off-Centered Film Festival is a celebration of the independent spirit shared by the Alamo and the good folks at Dogfish Head.  Hosted by Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione, the festival will culminate in a two-night fun, jazzy festivity of film and beer at the Alamo Lake Creek.  Friday night’s event will include a Dogfish Head portfolio tasting paired with gourmet snacks and appetizers, accompanied by live jazz from local Austin group TOrcH (http://www.sweethoneytree.com).  Saturday nights festivities will include a screening of the 2010 Dogfish Head Off-Centered short films with live music from DJ Orion (http://www.djorion.com).

It’s a two evening event with beer+food one night then films the next. Can’t go wrong with that.

Also, Mr. Sam Calagione will be present. Fingers crossed that maybe we’ll wrangle him in for an Over a Pint. Maybe we can get him to chew something up, spit into a glass and serve it to us. Only if we’re lucky.

Lots of fun beers will be present, as well.

Here’s a list:

Aprihop
w/ Chicken, corn, and black bean fried mini burrito

Raison D’Etre
w/ Medjool Date stuffed with gorgonzola, Marcona almond and wrapped in bacon

Black & Blue
w/ Crab wonton with blueberry sauce

60 Minute IPA
w/ Full Quiver farms white cheddar

Burton Baton
w/ Proscuitto, melon, and lime

120 Minute IPA
w/ Blue cheese soufflé puff

Chateau Jiahu
w/ Pulled pork slider, with house pickled red onions, and spicy mustard

Pangaea
w/ BBQ Bison slider with cheddar

Punkin Ale
w/ Chorizo/ beef slider with avocado mayo, lettuce, and tomato

Indian Brown Ale
w/ House made smoked duck sausage

Palo Santo Marron
w/ Chorizo, jack, and cojita quesadilla with roasted tomato salsa

Immort
w/ Truffled parmesan cheese fries

Midas Touch
w/ Midas Baklava

Raison D’ Extra

Fort
w/ Fort Sherbert

I’m looking forward to trying the Black & Blue.

Looks to be a great event. We’ll be there, you should come too.

Purchase tickets here.

I am a music fan. I’m lucky enough to live in Austin where we are so proud of our music scene that we declared ourselves the Live Music Capital of the WORLD! Aside from all of the bands that come through town or live here and play here, we are lucky enough to host a number of big music festivals every year. But the biggest of them all is South by Southwest. During SXSW over 1000 bands invade our town and play their music at every bar, alley, makeshift stage, and front-yard they can get a permit for.

If there is one thing that sxsw is about besides the music, it’s about going out and having a responsible good time. Well that’s what the beverage companies want me to say anyway. The fact of the matter is, there is a lot of drinking during SXSW. It may be a party put on by a new startup during the Interactive festival, a film premiere party, or just kids out drinking and dancing to their favorite band.

With all of the partying there is a great dilemma when it comes to the question of what to drink during the festival. Odds are your choices are limited to whatever the bar (or alley) is selling during the show. As a result you may be drinking a lot more of the National Beer of Texas than you would prefer. There’s nothing wrong with some Lone Star, especially in the right environment, but I noticed something new this year. Craft breweries are getting in on sponsorships this year. Also, more local bars are stocking gasp local beers. A movement is afoot and it looks like this year there will bring more “good” beer options than ever before.

Without further ado, here is my quick and dirty SXSW good beer survival guide.

Craft Brew Events

• Flying Dog is all over the place – You already know this if you read BTA, but it’s good beer and a lot of it!
• Dogfish Head/Gingerman SXSW Event Day 1 – Nice way to start out your Friday afternoon with a pint of Dogfish Head at the G-man.
• DC Does Texas – Good bands and free Dogfish Head at Lovejoys!
• 15th Annual Yarddog Throwdown At SXSW – Not free Dogfish Head, but only $3.  What better way to start off the Saturday of SXSW than with a bit of hair of the dog (pun intended)
• The Bay Area Takeover – All bands from the Bay area and free beer from Trumer Pils.  I haven’t had Trumer, but it gets a B+ from Beer Advocate

Bars with Good Beer

• Mohawk – Mohawk always has good bands and they usually have at least one Live Oak tap inside.
• Club DeVille – Club DeVille is next door to Mohawk on Red River and also has at least one Live Oak tap for your enjoyment. They also have 20 oz pint glasses.
• LoveJoys – Right in the middle of it all off 6th Street, you can get some microbrew.
• Ginger Man – When you need a break from the insanity of the music and 6th street, take a load off and enjoy some beer from the giant tap wall at Gingerman.
• Side Bar – Right off of Red River on 7th street you can find Real Ale on tap and a comfy couch. This is a great spot to catch some music and relax while in between bigger shows on Red River.
• Casino El Camino – Okay, I’m really including this one because they have a good Ms Pacman machine and I’m a dork. They also have some decent beers on tap and a fun atmosphere.

There are many more spots around downtown Austin to get good beer. Let us know your favorites in the comments. Also, please share any shows sponsored by Craft Brewers that I might have missed.

If you are skipping SXSW you can escape the influx of out-of-towners, hipsters, drunken idiots, and record label reps and head over to 512 to enjoy their Spring open house.

Who thought we’d actually have the stamina to make 9 of these?

I’m going to nick name this one “the reckoning”

So welcome to Over a Pint Episode 9 at the Flying Saucer… the reckoning.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down wt Sam and Rob (whom I call Sam in the video, sorry Rob) from the Flying Saucer in Austin. Maybe you’ve been there. They’ve got this nice little gig going there wt the beer and such.

We sit outside on a Thursday night; the wind tickles our beards, the casual conversation in the background is loud enough for me to trail off when I realize I don’t know what I’m talking about, the Oscar Blues dry hopped Gordon is flowing, we’re rapping about the Saucer, their upcoming Fall Beer Festival, Rob says “shit”, we cheers like three or four times, it’s revealed that there’s more in store at the festival that you have to show up to find out (of which they spill some beans but also leave some beans left in the can for Saturday), a good time is not missed by any of us.

Do you know when the first Saucer opened?

Do you know in what city?

Can you tell what I do wt my hands when I don’t know what to say next?

What about the special stuff happening inside the Flying Saucer on the 24th?

After watching this video you should be able to answer all these questions and some (meaning they spill some beans in the video that really sweeten the deal).

Check below the video for their cool poster and a hand typed list of the beers we talked about or I was given a list of.

Also, I think we may do a live stream Over a Pint from the festival. TBA.

Sam and I both have a Columbus dry hopped OB Gordon from a cask and Rob is drinking a Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout.

So, if you can, crack open a cold one and join us over a pint,

Enjoy!

The hand typed list:

[I'll bold everything I want and don't want you to drink all of]

Allagash Four

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

Dogfish Head Punkin

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale [WTF!?]

Green Flash Hop Head Red

Lagunitas 13 (Mondo Large Red)

North Coast Red Seal Cask

Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout

Sierra Nevada Edge of Darkenss [WTF!?]

Green Flash West Coast IPA

Ska Modus Hoperandi

Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #8

Live Oak Oaktoberfest Cask

Real Ale XII Anniversary Ale

(512) Pecan Porter

Independence Imperial Oatmeal Stout [aka Convict Hill]

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Breckenridge 471 IPA Cask [WTF!?]

Boulevard Smokestack Tank 7

New Belgium Transatlantic Kriek